Work vehicles, such as a loader backhoe, also referred to as a backhoe, are versatile machines that are commonly used on job sites. A wide arrangement of attachments that operate using the pressurized fluid systems such as thumbs, hammers, compactors, brooms, planers, augers, etc., contribute to the versatility of the work vehicle. While a number of the attachments are configured to operate using uni-directional fluid flow (one flow direction; having dedicated pressure and return line), others are configured to operate using bi-directional fluid flow (reversible flow direction; i.e., forward and reverse).
It is desirable to have the capability to run both uni-directional and bi-directional attachments on the same work vehicle. That is, the work vehicle would have a uni-directional mode to operate uni-directional attachments, as well as a bi-directional mode to operate bi-directional attachments. To accommodate both attachments, albeit one attachment at a time, a number of manufacturers run four (4) hoses/tubes through the boom to power the attachments. However, the use of four hoses/tubes increases cost, as well as the opportunity for damage to the hoses during normal use and hoses extending exterior of the machine structure may also reduce visibility to the working area of the machine, even when no attachments are in use.
In addition, mindful that users may wish to switch between uni-directional and bi-directional attachments, protections must be provided in case a bi-directional attachment is utilized when the work vehicle is configured to operate in a uni-directional mode, possibly causing damage to the bi-directional attachment.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to prevent inadvertent damage to a bi-directional attachment when the work vehicle is configured to operate in a uni-directional mode, while also avoiding other disadvantages of the known art.